MIAMI — The U.S. State Department says it is working on getting American citizens out of the Middle East as the widening conflict that started Saturday is disrupting travel around the globe.
Airports in Persian Gulf countries have been targeted in Iranian retaliation as American citizens have been warned to immediately leave more than a dozen countries, but commercial flights have been hard to come by.
South Florida resident Scott Wayne has been stranded in Israel for several days while trying to get home.
11 p.m. report:
He captured the sounds of explosions from his hotel room while speaking to Local 10, saying he is growing more nervous by the day.
At Miami International Airport, multiple ticket counters for Middle East-based airlines were seen closing, and El Al Airlines announced was suspending flights between Miami and Tel Aviv through at least Wednesday.
It later announced that it plans to resume inbound flights on Thursday but Israel has not approved plans for outbound flights.
South Floridians overseas are anxiously waiting to come home.
Cooper City resident Lee Aloni is visiting Netanya, north of Tel Avi, with family. She told Local 10 she was hoping to return Sunday. Now that’s up in the air.
“We are just waiting. We are checking the embassy online,” she said.
Broward residents Todd Goldberg and Jonathan Bratter are part of the Jewish National Fund-USA’s Brotherhood Mission to Israel.
The pair has been staying in the northern coastal town of Caesarea, visiting hospitals and working with families of hostages.
“I knew there was the risk of this happening when we planed the trip,” Goldberg said.
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